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Updated: Aug 12, 2025

Expansion of Human Peripheral Blood γδ T Cells using Zoledronate
Published on: September 9, 2011
Circulating effector γδ T cell populations are associated with acute coronavirus disease 19 in unvaccinated
Anouk von Borstel1, Thi Ho Nguyen2, Louise C Rowntree2
1Infection and Immunity Program and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
Abstract:
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection causes severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a small proportion of infected individuals. The immune system plays an important role in the defense against SARS-CoV-2, but our understanding of the cellular immune parameters that contribute to severe COVID-19 disease is incomplete. Here, we show that populations of effector γδ T cells are associated with COVID-19 in unvaccinated patients with acute disease. We found that circulating CD27neg CD45RA+ CX3CR1+ Vδ1effector cells expressing Granzymes (Gzms) were enriched in COVID-19 patients with acute disease. Moreover, higher frequencies of GzmB+ Vδ2+ T cells were observed in acute COVID-19 patients. SARS-CoV-2 infection did not alter the γδ T cell receptor repertoire of either Vδ1+ or Vδ2+ subsets. Our work demonstrates an association between effector populations of γδ T cells and acute COVID-19 in unvaccinated individuals.
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